I Was Never Fussed By Rangefinders… Now I Wonder How I Ever Went Without

For some reason, and despite their widespread usage, distance-measuring devices – whether rangefingers, watches or other GPS units – never really appealed to me… until recently.

I’m not really sure why that was the case. I’d heard others speak glowingly about them and seen their usage increase exponentially since I took up the game about 25 years ago, but something about them didn’t pique my interest.

I’m generally a no-nonsense person when it comes to golf, I’m not hugely into gadgets away from the course and I don’t tend to gravitate towards anything I deem to be fiddly.

As an example, I’ve dabbled with various shot-tracking systems and tags and nothing has ever stuck. I’ve never been interested in remote-controlled trolleys and I’m sure I’d always forget to charge the battery anyway.

I don’t really want to use technology on the course if I can avoid it – we all spend too much time on our phones on a day-to-day basis and I enjoy the peace and away-from-it-all feel that golf can provide.

However, at the start of the year, I was looking at potential ways to help me improve and I concluded my slapdash approach to gathering yardages probably wasn’t helping my game. I’d look at the nearest yardage marker, quickly scope out the pin position and think ‘that’s about 170 yards’. Talk about precision.

I knew something needed to change, but I also knew I wasn’t a GPS type of guy. Playing around with settings on an external device that needs to be charged and requires various cables isn’t for me. So, I landed on a rangefinder.

Shot Scope is known for producing quality products at affordable prices, so I thought I’d give the Pro X model a go.

No turning back

I knew I couldn’t go back to the dark side after my first nine holes of the year. This was exactly what I needed – something to give me a yardage to the pin in seconds, with a minimum of fuss: unzip, point, shoot, vibrate. Job done.

The slope functionality – which factors undulation changes into the calculation but isn’t permitted during competitions – can be toggled on or off instantly.

I can’t tell you how much my iron play has improved, and it’s not to do with technique; it’s all about clarity of thought. I know exactly how far I have to the flag and I can commit fully with that yardage in mind.

I don’t generally play in competitions as a nomadic golfer, so the slope functionality is really useful, too.

Another benefit is feedback around exactly how far I hit my clubs. Amateur golfers are notoriously poor at knowing how far their various irons and woods go, but if you have an exact yardage for each shot and a specific club either comes up too short or goes too far, you mentally bank that. Over time, you develop a much clearer picture of how far you hit the ball.

I also use the Pro X off the tee to work out distances to bunkers, hazards and dogleg apexes. This helps me determine if I can carry a trap on the corner, for example, or if I need to alter my club or usual shot shape. And the best part? It takes seconds to get the data.

You're also able to customise the rangefinder via the removable graphic panel on the side, which is a cool addition.

There are numerous other Shot Scope rangefinder models on the market, as well as various GPS devices, but the Pro X is perfect for me. It’s light, compact, quick, stylish, accurate and affordably priced. It’s the opposite of fiddly, and for that reason, it’ll be in my golf bag for a long time to come.